The Hammond B3 Organ

 By Bruce Shawkey


Of all the electronic organs, the Hammond B3 paired with the Leslie speaker is arguably the most famous.

There were many varieties of the Hammond organ, but the most popular variety, and the one still commonly used today (if you can find one that isn’t too beat up) is the Hammond B-3. This organ has two 61 note keyboards, a variety of built-in special effects, (including "percussion" effects, several different chorus and vibrato effects, and adjustable attack and decay effects), 9 preset keys for both manuals, (the inversely white and black keys on the bottom octave of each manual), two sets of nine stops (drawbars) for each manual, a full two octave set of foot pedals with two pedal drawbars built in to the console, a volume pedal (expression pedal) built into the base, a solid walnut body with 4 legs and base, a built-in stool, and it weighs at over 400 pounds. Also, it needed to be run through a separate speaker called a Leslie, which also came in many varieties and sizes, but which was usually around six feet tall and weighed almost as much as the organ. To get a B-3 to a gig, you would probably need a truck or a van to transport it, a dolly or three to four guys to carry it, and then a prayer that you didn’t have to carry it up too many flights of stairs. Why, you must be wondering, would any sane musician want to take this piece of furniture with them out to a gig? If you have ever heard a good B-3, you would understand. A Hammond B-3 can all at once sound like a carnival, a big band, a horn section, a small jazz combo, a funk group, a percussion section, a flute, and/or countless other things.


I found a cool book on the Internet (sold by Amazon) titled :The Hammond Organ: Beauty in the B." It traces the technological and artistic evolution of the B-3 and other tone wheel organs, as well as the whirling Leslie speakers that catapulted the Hammond sound into history. It covers the genius that went into the development of Hammond's tonewheel generator, drawbar harmonics, percussion, scanner vibrato and other innovations, as well as the incredible assistance Don Leslie provided for Hammond by creating his famous rotating speaker system. Plus – B-3 legends including soul-jazzman Jimmy McGriff and progressive rocker Keith Emerson share their playing techniques; technical experts offer tips on buying, restoring, and maintaining Hammonds and Leslies; and over 200 photos illustrate historic Hammond organs, Leslie cabinets, and B-3 masters at work.

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